Monday, December 04, 2006

Staley Cut, Reid to IR, Iwuoma & Mays Return

The following item is from the Pittsburgh Steelers official website; and while it may not seem like much, the signing of special teams demon Chidi Iwuoma is going to help the Steelers' struggling special teams:

"The Steelers made several roster moves today, including the release of veteran running back Duce Staley.

Staley, a 10-year veteran, was in his third season with the Steelers but had not been active on game day this season since Week 1. In two-plus seasons with the Steelers, Staley played in 16 games and made 11 starts, and rushed for 978 yards and two touchdowns on 230 carries (4.3 avg.). He also caught 12 passes for 89 yards (7.4 avg.).

Staley signed with the Steelers on March 12, 2004 as an unrestricted free agent from the Philadelphia Eagles. He enjoyed his best season with the team that year when he rushed for 830 yards and one touchdown on 192 carries (4.3 avg.). Staley has rushed for 5,785 yards and 24 touchdowns on 1,430 carries (4.0 avg.), and caught 287 passes for 2,587 yards (9.0 avg.) and 10 scores during his career. He was originally drafted by the Eagles in the third round (71st overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft out of South Carolina.

The Steelers also announced that rookie wide receiver Willie Reid has been placed on the team's reserve/injured list and will miss the remainder of the season. Reid, who was the team's third round draft choice in 2006 (95th overall), injured his foot Oct. 8 at San Diego in his only action of the season. Reid returned one kickoff for 19 yards and one punt for 11 yards this season.

Iwuoma originally signed with the Steelers as a free agent in 2002 but was released Sept. 6 this year prior to the team's season opener. Iwuoma served as special teams co-captain for the Steelers in both 2004 and '05. He recorded 69 special teams' tackles in four seasons with the team after beginning his NFL career in 2001 with the Detroit Lions.

Mays was originally selected by the Steelers in the sixth round (202nd overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. He spent training camp with the team in 2006 before being released on Sept. 2. Mays was also released in camp by the team in 2005, but was re-signed on Jan. 10, 2006, after wide receiver Quincy Morgan broke his leg in the Steelers' Wild Card playoff game at Cincinnati. Mays has caught 11 passes for 154 yards (14.0 avg.) and returned 36 kickoffs for 750 yards (20.8 avg.) during his career with the Steelers (2002-04)."